Five minutes earlier.
Philadelphia City Hall — Mayor's Office.
A large number of Philadelphia's senior officials had gathered in the room, while live video feeds from the Pennsylvania Governor's Office were also connected.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury was present as well, though many in the room were clearly less than friendly toward him.
At the beginning, the Mayor of Philadelphia had attempted to deploy SWAT units and the National Guard, only to be stopped on the spot by Fury.
Fury had also notified the Governor of Pennsylvania, Congress, and the White House.
Of course, the mayor technically had the authority to ignore them—but if catastrophic consequences followed, he would be the one wearing handcuffs, possibly without even seeing the next sunrise.
At this moment, everyone wore tense expressions, their eyes locked onto the live combat footage on the screens.
At first, no one truly believed that a single individual could cause significant destruction.
Even the worst bombing incident in Philadelphia's history had amounted to little more than several buildings burning and smoking.
But after witnessing the battle between Lucas and Kro, they finally understood what supernatural power truly meant.
Soon after, the video feeds from the White House and Congress also joined the conference.
No one spoke.
The room fell into a silence so deep that a pin drop could be heard.
"Fury," President Ellis finally spoke.
"Mr. President," Fury replied.
"Can he be stopped?" Ellis asked—the question everyone most desperately wanted answered.
This was already a disaster.
One district had been reduced to rubble, while the two adjacent districts had suffered over forty percent structural damage.
According to preliminary assessments from the disaster response teams, losses had already exceeded one hundred billion dollars.
And that was only because civilians had been evacuated in time.
If tens of thousands of casualties had been added, the President himself would likely have been forced to resign on the spot.
"I'm very sorry, Mr. President," Fury said calmly,
"but I'm afraid there is nothing I can do."
On the surface, Fury looked stoic—but inwardly, he was secretly pleased.
For years, he had tried to persuade these politicians about security legislation and funding for extraordinary threats. They had always believed that possessing a modern military made them untouchable.
Now, Fury was letting Lucas personally teach them just how wrong they were.
"Then someone tell me," the Philadelphia mayor, Howellson, demanded angrily,
"what am I supposed to do if they keep fighting? Let Philadelphia be torn apart?"
"With this level of destructive capability," a congressional aide said helplessly,
"even the National Guard would be useless. Sending elite mechanized forces from nearby bases wouldn't help either."
"Their targets are simply too small," he added.
At that moment, a military general spoke up:
"What if we use guided missiles—or nuclear warheads?"
Fury sneered.
"That monster, maybe—I'm not sure," he said coldly.
"But Lucas would absolutely evade or destroy your missiles, then personally pay a visit to your missile base."
"As for nuclear warheads," Fury continued,
"do you think Mayor Howellson or Governor Geltz would agree to that?"
Howellson and Geltz shouted simultaneously:
"Fuck no! Absolutely not! Drop a nuke and see what happens, you b*****!"
The general immediately fell silent. This was not the moment to make himself the scapegoat.
"I think it's clear that he can completely suppress that creature," President Ellis said after a pause.
"Let's send a helicopter in and request that Lucas end the battle as soon as possible."
"After all, he is our ally. We've dealt with him before—he's not an extremist."
Everyone immediately voiced their agreement. With the President taking responsibility, no one dared object.
"But what if he refuses?" a general suddenly asked.
"Ross," Ellis narrowed his eyes,
"what exactly are you implying?"
"I mean, if he doesn't listen," General Ross said sternly,
"and if this happens once, it could happen again."
"Each time, an entire city becomes a disaster zone. How many cities does North America have to spare?"
"Since when did we become so weak that we have to bow to someone else's mood?"
The politicians' faces darkened. Many of the generals began murmuring among themselves.
Ross came from a powerful military family and had participated in numerous major conflicts. He was one of the most prominent hardliners within the armed forces.
"Then we need to establish an organization," Fury said sharply, seizing the moment,
"one that can control and utilize these extraordinary powers—and make them serve us."
Ross glared at Fury, about to speak—but President Ellis spoke first.
"Fury, you're right," Ellis said.
"And judging by your tone, you already have information on these individuals?"
Fury stood and nodded.
"Yes. Over the past decade, I've been monitoring them in secret and collecting intelligence."
"I propose that S.H.I.E.L.D. take the lead and bring these extraordinary individuals together."
"We establish a superpowered organization under government and Security Council oversight."
"That way, we'll never again be helpless in situations like this."
The room fell silent again.
Soon, a congressman asked,
"Why can't North America lead this organization directly?"
Fury immediately understood their intentions and replied:
"Because when incidents occur in other countries, a purely North American organization wouldn't be able to intervene legitimately."
That single sentence instantly enlightened Congress and the White House.
"I agree," President Ellis said.
"Congress approves, with over ninety percent in favor," the Speaker announced.
"The military also agrees," said the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
The governors and mayors remained silent—this was far beyond their authority.
"Then," someone asked,
"what shall this organization be called?"
Fury straightened his black leather coat.
"The Avengers."
"It means that no matter who commits slaughter or destruction on our soil, we will send Avengers to fight to the end—and make them pay."
Some frowned at the name, but no one objected. It was approved.
At that moment, Mayor Howellson spoke irritably:
"Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen—can we deal with the problem in front of us first?"
"Philadelphia's losses are still increasing. Or is Congress planning to approve even more reconstruction funds?"
Fury quickly responded:
"Mr. Mayor, I suggest we proceed with the earlier plan—dispatch a helicopter and request that Lucas end the battle or conclude it as soon as possible."
"Fine," Howellson sighed, picking up the phone.
"I hope you're right."
Soon after, a helicopter lifted off from the nearest police precinct in Philadelphia and rapidly headed toward the battlefield.
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